


Quid Opus Est Audire

by jbsullivan17



Series: Soulmates [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 16:49:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17871017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbsullivan17/pseuds/jbsullivan17
Summary: Your soulmate’s words are written on your skin, not their first words to you, but the first words they say after you have fallen in love with them. Which means you can know your soulmate for days, weeks, months, or even years without even realizing it until they say those words—the moment you realize that you love them. That also means that they may have already fallen in love with you and realized you’re their soulmate, while you go on oblivious to their knowledge. They can live for years until you finally reciprocate, or they can even pine forever if you don’t. You can be their soulmate, but someone else could be yours.





	Quid Opus Est Audire

**Author's Note:**

> I don't remember where I found this prompt because it's been a while. It was fun to write and conspire this whole plot line and the aspects of this world. I also just came up with another story as I'm writing this and I'm so excited about it!!!!
> 
> (This was unedited, I'll probably wake up in 9 hours and regret that...)

Bellamy sighed when he woke up. Long blonde hair lying across his chest, the owner’s head on his shoulder. Life couldn’t get better than this, having his girl in his arms in his bed nearly every night. It was a long road to get where they are but he was happy and in love.

That realization hit him like a brick and he looked at the wrist of the arm wrapped around Clarke. He remembered when the words were foggy and abstract, getting clearer and clearer over the years and he couldn’t breathe. There’s no way that it’s not Clarke, not after this. She’s his soulmate. That’s it.

_Good morning, Handsome._

That’s it. He just has to wait for her to wake up and that will solve it all. If only he could read her wrist too…

Clarke groaned, pushing her hair out of her face and looked up at him with that lazy morning smile of hers that had him falling for her again. “Good morning, handsome,” she smiled a little wider before he pressed a kiss to her temple with sheer and utter relief.

“Morning, Princess.”

She sighed, “Will that ever get old?”

“Maybe when I get a daughter?”

“Then will I be queen?”

Bellamy laughed, “I feel like it’s going to be more like a big princess and little princess. You’re always going to be my little princess.”

“Haha, you’re so funny! Height jokes.”

“Seriously! Our kids are going to be taller than you, how is that going to feel?”

Clarke sat up, the sheets sliding down her chest to reveal her perfect breasts and Bellamy’s eyes drifted down for a moment before he shot them back up to her immersive and questioning blue eyes. “Are we having that conversation?”

“I… We’ve been together a year, we probably should.”

“Yeah. I want kids. Not right now, in a few years though.”

“Me too,” he smiled. “At least two, I was thinking adoption too. Would you be open to that?”

“I think it’s also a financial discussion for when the time comes. We may or may not be able to afford two children let alone adoption. The economy sucks.”

Bellamy smirked, lifting up onto his elbows to get a little closer to her. She might not know yet, she might not love him yet, or worse, he’s not her soulmate.

“Yeah, I… I get that, but didn’t you tell Raven that you wouldn’t have a child without giving them a sibling because you felt alone growing up?”

She nodded, “I did. I still believe that; I just worry about money. I don’t have a trust fund to fall back on if either of us loses our job.”

“You know that’s not a normal thing to say, right? You definitely had a privileged childhood,” he teased, it’s the equivalent of pulling her pigtails on the playground in kindergarten but he loved teasing her and see the heat of anger churn up her body, visible on her chest. “I will get tenure and we won’t have to worry so much. You’re the troublemaker in this relationship, we only have to concern ourselves with you not telling Mr. Wallace off. No matter how badly he or his son deserve it.”

“It’s like he doesn’t know what real art is if it hit him in the face,” she grumbled and Bellamy checked the clock. They don’t have brunch with Miller and Octavia for two more hours. He can put her in a better mood in thirty minutes and again in the shower.

He leaned over and kissed her, fully planning on fulfilling both declarations.

* * *

**Six Months Later:**

There were moments where Bellamy said some things that made Clarke fully swoon and convince herself that she was in love with him. Then he wouldn’t say “We’re out of bananas” and she’d sigh, rubbing her soulmark absentmindedly, staring at his and knowing he fell in love with her on a Sunday morning before she woke up, always greeting him with the phrase “good morning, handsome” like his arm says clear as day.

Clarke knew without a doubt that she loved Bellamy. She wanted to spend her life with him, they were perfect together, but the fact that she hasn’t fallen in love with him has been bothering her and she knew it’ll happen when it’s the right time, she just doesn’t know how to make him see that she wants to be with him forever, regardless of what her arm says or if he could read it. She wants him.

When she got home that night, Clarke sat across from Bellamy at the dining table as he was grading.

“Are you okay?” he asked without looking up, he tended to do that when she did something out of character, like sitting across from him after coming home from work instead of to the kitchen for a glass of wine. “Did Cage do something?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong. I—I love you.”

“I know,” he smirked, his eyes looking to her wrist before meeting her eyes.

“That’s my point. What this says doesn’t matter, how I feel does. I love you and I want to spend my life with you, regardless of what my wrist says.”

“Are you sure?” Bellamy put his pen down and placed his hand over hers. “I don’t want my heart to break if it’s not me and you want to leave.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know you wouldn’t. Not intentionally, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

“I love you and I want to marry you, I want to have kids with you. No matter what happens, this is what I’m choosing and you know I’m too stubborn to change my mind or go back on my word.”

“Clarke, if you feel the way I do about you for someone else… this isn’t going to be pretty,” his voice broke and Clarke’s heart broke a little. “I know you’d stay with me because you love me, but falling in love with your soulmate is completely different and all-encompassing and I can’t let you miss out on that.”

“Okay, so then what do we do?”

“We could do the family thing, try for a baby.”

“And what if you aren’t my soulmate and I do leave to be whoever it is? What about the kid?”

“Trade-off every week. If they have Thanksgiving with you, they get Christmas with me. Vice versa.”

“I don’t like thinking I’m not going to be with you.”

“I don’t like it either, but I’m not going to pretend it’s not an option.”

Clarke nodded. “So, a baby? Are we ready for that?”

“We’ll need a bigger apartment and some paint, but yeah, I think we’re ready.”

Clarke smiled, hoping to find the realization and hearing Bellamy’s words but they never come and Clarke falls asleep hating that she doesn’t love Bellamy like he loves her, like he deserves.

* * *

**Two Years Later:**

The phone was ringing and Clarke’s knee wouldn’t stop bouncing as she waited for the answering machine to finally connect.

“Hello? Clarke?” she heard through the speaker and her eyes widened.

“Mom, hi. I was expecting the voicemail.”

“This is the first time you’ve called me in six years, why wouldn’t I answer the phone?”

“I… right, anyway, I’m calling you to let you know you’re going to be a grandmother. He’s due in two months.”

“It’s taken you six months to let me know?”

“I didn’t know what to say in a voicemail and I really didn’t know what to say to you after… everything.”

“Right. Do you have a name picked out? I’m assuming it’s Bellamy’s.”

“Yeah, it’s Bell’s. We’re debating between names. Anyway, if you want to come to the hospital, we’re planning on it being at St. Mary’s.”

“Are you two married?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, of course, that’s where Dr. Abigail Griffin would take this. _Their child will be a bastard! Blah, blah, blah…_ Clarke knew it was coming and she still called her mother anyway.

“No, we aren’t getting married. I’m his soulmate but from what we can tell he’s not mine or he would have said it by now. I love him, I don’t think I’ll stop loving him, but he’s never going to say the words on my arm and he doesn’t want to get hurt when someone does say them to me.”

“They’re rather intimate aren’t they? Your words?”

“No. Anyone close could say them to me and that’s the frightening part. It’s not intimate enough to be just from Bellamy.”

“And were your words to him?”

_Good morning, handsome._

“Yes. I don’t know when it happened, it could have been any Sunday morning, it’s the only mornings he and I have to ourselves where neither of us is rushing off to work so it’s the only day I would be able to say it. I said it all the time and it happened. I don’t even know what day it happened on. I don’t think I paid attention for months.”

“But you love him.”

“Yes.”

“You’d marry him if he asked?”

“That’s the problem, Mom. He doesn’t want to marry me in case I run off with my soulmate.”

“Your father wasn’t my soulmate, Clarke. Callie was. She was my best friend and she was her wife’s soulmate just as I was your father’s. We loved them and we loved each other. You can love Bellamy and your soulmate, that doesn’t make your love for him any less true.”

“Is it possible that he’s still my soulmate and it’s just taking me extra long to figure it out because of Finn and Lexa?”

“You can’t figure out love, love. It just is and if something needs figuring out, it does it itself.”

“Right,” Clarke grimaced.

“Thank you for calling, Clarke. I’m excited for you, you and Bellamy are going to be amazing parents. I have a surgery in five minutes so…”

“I get it. Thank you.”

“I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, Mom. Bye,” Clarke hung up and turned around to find Bellamy standing at the door. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Finn and Lexa didn’t damage you.” He walked into the kitchen and settled next to her against the island. “I know you love me, I know you won’t leave. It’s one of your best traits.” His hand wrapped around her wrist tracing the tattoo he can’t read. “Please stop beating yourself up over this.”

“What else am I supposed to do? I want it to be you more than anything. I wish I could just make it happen.”

Bellamy pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

“When are we going to decide on a name?”

“I feel like we’re going to be at an impasse until he’s born.”

Clarke laughed. “I’m going to the community center. Do you want to come?”

“I still have a stack of tests to grade. Tell Madi I say hi. Don’t tell her without me.”

Clarke smiled. They’re going to become foster parents. They’re going to try and get Madi. They know that’s not how it works, but they’re going to try.

“I won’t. I love you,” she looked up and smiled at Bellamy before kissing him. “I’ll see you after dinner. Would you order some extra Thai?”

“Of course.”

* * *

**One Year Later:**

Clarke sat on the floor, leaning against the couch watching Leo crawl around the floor when the front door opened. Madi walked in, dropping her backpack on the bench before plopping on the couch next to Clarke with a heavy sigh.

“Bad day at school?” Clarke questioned looking over her shoulder at Madi.

“It was long. I knew getting into Arkadia Academy was going to be stressful and costly, but this is something else. Seriously, it’s insane how they pit us against each other.”

“Seriously?” Clarke grimaced. It wasn’t how she remembered Arkadia Academy but things change under different leadership and Dean Charles Pike was a tough teacher and probably a tougher, more demanding dean.

“Some of my classmates are cool, but it’s difficult making friends when we’re all fighting for the top of the class.”

“I feel like that’s very unhealthy for children, but I also feel like participation trophies are the worst thing that's happened in this country pre-Trump. I want the best for you, Mads. If you want to go to a different school, Bellamy and I will make that happen.”

“I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

Clarke nodded and went back to fully paying attention to Leo who was now using the coffee table to stand, his legs wobbly and a big smile plastered on his face as he let go of the table and tried taking a step towards her and fell on his bottom instead, Clarke caught his head before it hit the floor. “Good try, bud!”

“He’s getting spunky,” Madi smiled and stood. “I’m getting a snack. Do you want anything?”

“Would you bring him a bottle? I put one in the warmer before you got home and it should be good by now.”

“Okay.”

 Madi left the room and Clarke lifted Leo into her lap and thought about how lucky she is. She has her son, her daughter, and Bellamy. They’re the best things to ever happen to her and Clarke loved them all more than she could ever show.

“We’re out of bananas!” Madi called from the kitchen and Clarke froze and adjusted Leo to see the words on her wrist. It made sense, how easy they connected at the community center. She was meant to foster Madi and this was the proof, it was like her mother said, not every soulmate is romantic, it could be best friends, lovers or parental, there’s probably an infinite number of ways soulmates can be soulmates… for lack of a better way of saying it.

Bellamy showed up a half hour later with pizza and garlic knots. Clarke asked Madi to get Leo prepared for dinner while she talked to Bellamy for a moment.

“What’s up?” he asked as she closed the door.

“We need to adopt Madi.”

“I thought we were going to talk to Bill after fostering her for six months.”

“I know but something happened and we need to do it now before they take her away.”

“What do you mean something happened? Is she okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just… um…” she didn’t know how to say it so instead she showed him her wrist where the words were clear to him now too.

“’We’re out of bananas’?”

“Yeah, she said it after she got home from school. I just don’t want to jinx it by not adopting her as soon as possible.”

“I need a minute. My wife just told me our nine-year-old foster daughter is her soulmate. It feels creepy and yet… right.”

Clarke smiled, “I know.”

“I love her too,” Bellamy said with a small smile, wrapping his arms around Clarke.

“You called me your wife.”

“Common law, we’re nearly there…”

“You still don’t want to marry me, even though my soulmate is our foster daughter.”

“I did not say that. I…”

“It’s fine,” Clarke pulled out of his grasp. “I’m starving. We should get out there before Madi lets Leo make a mess.”

She opened the door and went back out to the kitchen where Madi was sitting and trying to get Leo to eat his mushed peas. He hates them and Clarke had no idea why she kept buying them at the store when he refused to eat them.

“Dinner?”

Clarke tried to not be angry about Bellamy’s position on getting married, but she couldn’t seem to help it. It came up constantly during the adoption process and Clarke refused to look in his direction every time while telling whoever asked that they’re not breaking up, they just didn’t see the need to get married and every time she said the words, her heart broke a little more. She knew it was unhealthy to resent him for it, but she did and every time their friends announced their engagements her resentment grew.

It took eighteen months to officially adopt Madi, it took the state a long time to track down her mother to sign official abandonment papers only to find out that she’s been in Reno, Nevada and dead for six years. After finding that out, it was a breeze and within a month, she was adopted. Clarke was ecstatic, even when seeing the sign in the courthouse that pointed them in the direction of marriage licenses, she wanted to break down and cry but she didn’t, Madi was officially her daughter and forever in her life, she couldn’t be sad at that moment, no matter how much Bellamy was breaking her heart.

They were out at a celebratory lunch, their friends came in support, even her mother and Marcus Kane. After everyone finished eating, Bellamy stood, grabbing everyone’s attention, even Leo went quiet and still in Octavia’s arms.

“Today has been a long time coming. Clarke first met Madi at the community center downtown and there was something about Madi that drew her in. We’d discussed fostering children for a while before she got pregnant with Leo and we finally went through with it and had two other children with us before Madi was placed. Clarke’s eyes lit up when the call came in that we were getting Madi. Leo was six months old and Madi was a pro with him, she changed his diaper better than either of us. She was a godsend.

“We knew we wanted to adopt Madi long before we fostered her, we saw her at the community center all the time and we both loved her. When she was moved in, we said we wouldn’t try for adoption until she’d been with us for at least six months, we’d all be comfortable and we’d really know each other. Four months in, Madi said four words to Clarke one day after school and Clarke demanded that we push for adoption the next day. Madi said ‘we’re out of bananas’ and if you look at Clarke’s soulmark, that’s what it says. Madi, you are meant to be a part of our family and today has been one of the best days of my life. Officially being able to call you my daughter is incredible, even though you being Clarke’s soulmate had caused us a lot of strife before we knew it was you. Hell, these last eighteen months have been stressful too and that is not on you at all. It’s a lot of miscommunication on our part.

“I was admittedly scared, Clarke,” Bellamy said and Clarke looked up at him for the first time during his speech and found him already watching her and her bleary eyes. He knew just what to say to get her upset and she hated it. “You’re my soulmate and I’m not yours, I know now that it’s the best thing in the world. It brought Madi into our lives and I do not regret that. I don’t regret not marrying you with the fear of losing you. Though I do regret letting you tell everyone for the last eighteen months that we’re never getting married.”

Bellamy reached into his pocket and dropped down onto one knee in front of Clarke and she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore because this man was the best thing that had ever happened to her, he brought everything else into her life, their son and their now daughter. The one thing that’s been scaring the hell out of her for over five years is what he’s finally doing. “Clarke Griffin, I have loved you for a long time—some might say too long before doing this—and I don’t know why you’ve stuck around this long to finally see me get my head out of my ass, but I am so grateful that you have. Will you please marry me?”

Clarke didn’t say anything, she just stared at him in shock. She knew it was coming the moment he turned his speech onto her and yet no words came to her mind. She was frozen, not with fear, but joy, if that’s even possible.

“I should make you wait five years for an answer, just to be spiteful,” she said and everyone but Bellamy and Leo laughed, though the two-year-old was paying more attention to Octavia’s tattoos than what was going on with his parents. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

Everyone clapped and Bellamy leaned up to kiss her. He put the ring on her finger when they broke away and Clarke smiled, it was a simple solitaire and exactly what she wanted. “I love you.”

Later that night when they were home and everyone was in bed, Bellamy rolled onto his side and looked at Clarke and she smiled over at him.

“What’s up?” she asked, feeling like the weight of the world was off her shoulders.

“Do you remember the day you told me we needed to adopt Madi and you were so mad that I didn’t want to marry you even though I didn’t get to say anything about what I wanted aside from adopting Madi. I didn't want to wait anymore, I had it planned out. I was going to propose that weekend and I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for you but and then you were so angry, you were barely speaking to me. I didn’t think it was a good idea anymore. You wouldn’t talk to me about anything except the adoption or Leo, I… I was starting to think you wanted to leave and you were just staying for the kids. After we found out about her mom… everything changed and I talked to Madi about asking you to marry me today. Babe, I always wanted to marry you, that has been a constant since our first date.”

It was like a punch in the gut, the honest truth and yet, she was still scared that he wanted to run. All these years and she thinks her fiancé doesn’t want to be with her forever… there was something poetically ironic about the situation and how the tables have turned. Bellamy used to be afraid she’d leave and now Clarke’s afraid he’s going to.

Clarke quickly got over that eighteen months later, they'd been married for nine months and she’d just given birth to a girl. Looking into Bellamy’s eyes as she held their baby girl for the first time, she knew this was everything he wanted, a life and family with her, everything else was just static.

**Author's Note:**

> Are there plot holes? I think there's a plot hole somewhere... Idk, let me know??


End file.
